condottiere

American  

[kawn-duh-tyair-ey, -tyair-ee, kawn-dawt-tye-re] / ˌkɔn dəˈtyɛər eɪ, -ˈtyɛər i, ˌkɔn dɔtˈtyɛ rɛ /

noun

plural

condottieri

1. a leader of a private band of mercenary soldiers in Italy, especially in the 14th and 15th centuries.

2. any mercenary; soldier of fortune.

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condottiere British  

/ ˌkɒndɒˈtjɛərɪ /

noun

1. a commander or soldier in a professional mercenary company in Europe from the 13th to the 16th centuries

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Etymology

Origin of condottiere

1785–95; < Italian, equivalent to condott ( o ) (< Latin conductus hired man, past participle of condūcere to conduce; see conduct) + -iere < Latin -ārius -ary

Example Sentences

Adjoining the east porch is the Capella Colleoni, the mausoleum of Bartolommeo Colleoni the celebrated condottiere of the fifteenth century, whose equestrian statue in front of the church of SS.

From Cathedral Cities of Italy by Collins, William Wiehe

The execution of the condottiere, Fra Moreale, was an act of ingratitude as well as of treachery.

From The Great Events by Famous Historians, Volume 07 by Johnson, Rossiter

It is old Gattamelata, the condottiere of the Venetian forces in the long wars with Padua.

From Lippincott's Magazine of Popular Literature and Science, Volume 20, September, 1877. by Various

Is he not the famous Bianchetti, a condottiere employed by the people, as the condottieri once were by the kings and nobles?

From The Continental Monthly, Vol 6, No 5, November 1864 Devoted To Literature And National Policy by Various

Orazio Baglioni, of the semiprincely Perugian family, was a distinguished condottiere.

From The Great Events by Famous Historians, Volume 09 by Johnson, Rossiter